Chamber survey to make "interesting reading"

A survey conducted by the Mullingar Chamber of Commerce which aims to find out the reasons why businesses in the town are closing and struggling is due to be published later this week.The report asked businesses what the major obstacles are that they encounter, and shoppers from Westmeath were also surveyed at shopping centres near Dublin to see why they preferred to buy elsewhere."The results have not yet been compiled but there are a couple of obvious sticking points which are hampering business progess in the town," said chamber president Paul O'Brennan."We went up to Liffey Valley and Dundrum and asked people getting out of cars with Westmeath registrations why there were there and not spending in Mullingar."People were more than willing to talk, and one of the glaring problems is that there are not enough services for them in Mullingar."That means parking and it means choice of shops."Basically if we had Central up and running it would mean easy parking and the trade from the mall would then feed into the town."When Dunnes Stores opened people in Castle Street thought that it would spell disaster for them but instead it meant that their trade increased and the same thing would happen with Central."As for businesses in the town, running costs are making life just too difficult for people to keep going. Rates combined with water rates and then sewerage charges on top of that are hammering local businesses and we need to do something to address that immediately."Mr O'Brennan also hit out at the government, the IDA and Enterprise Ireland for allowing jobs to bleed from Mullingar into Athlone and Tullamore.The chamber chief said that local business had been so "let down" by government bodies that they have been using personal contacts to attract business to the area."Let's say that 'disappointed' doesn't even begin to cover how we feel about losing jobs to Tullamore and Ballyshannon where the emergency 999 call jobs are being re routed to. I have said publicly many times before that businesses appear to be guided towards Athlone and Tullamore. I can't prove that businesses are being encouraged away from Mullingar but I personally believe that they are."Roads are taking people through and around Mullingar instead of encouraging them to stay here and do business. All being equal Mullingar is the perfect spot to set up."No one is saying that times are tough but some of the best opportunities come out of a recession. We can and will get through this."